Popularly known by the name
of the main character, "Mashadi Ibad" was based on
a musical comedy by composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov and written in
the early 1900s. Two versions of the movie were produced-one
in Baku, the other in Tehran. The Azerbaijan version (1956) was
produced in color, based on the screenplay by Sabit Rahman and
directed by Husein Seyidzade. The story pokes fun of traditionally
arranged marriages and emphasizes emerging modern life styles
versus old traditions.

The story
is based on the age old-theme of a beautiful young woman (Gulnaz)
who falls in love with a young man (Sarvar) but is obliged to
marry someone else. Gulnaz' father, Rustam bey, is bankrupt.
He decides that the only way to pay off his creditors is to get
money by marrying off Gulnaz to the rich, old, widowed bazaar
merchant, Mashadi Ibad.

But Sarvar contrives a way to foil the plan by disguising himself
as the bride hidden under the thick Muslim veil. When Mashadi
Ibad lifts the veil to see his bride's face, he discovers Sarvar
who holds him at gun point and makes him write a statement that
he really wants to marry the maid, not Gulnaz. This is where
the work gets its title, "If Not This One, Then That One."
The strategy works and Sarvar succeeds in marrying Gulnaz.

Left: During the bazaar fight, Gochu Askar
(Movsum Sanani) suddenly bumps into Rustam bey, who is so frightened
that he invites him to the wedding announcement party.

Right: Hasan bey (Mustafa Mardanov) at Rustam
bey's party where the wedding is announced. After getting drunk,
he accuses Rustam bey of selling his beautiful daughter to the
old man Mashadi Ibad who is as ugly as an orangutan!

Left: Mashadi Ibad standing on the back of a "hambal"
(porter) and

(right) peering over the garden wall to see
his fiancee Gulnaz. To his surprise, she is not alone, but with
her lover, Sarvar.

Left: On the wedding night, the groom finally
gets a chance to take off the veil of his bride. Instead of Gulnaz,
he finds her lover, Sarvar, who confronts him with a gun and
forces him to sign a paper that he really doesn't want to marry
Gulnaz at all but prefers, instead, to marry the maid.